Radiant panel space heater



Sept. 17, 1957 F. o. HEss 2,806,465

RADIANT PANEL SPACE HEATER Filed May 6, 1954 2, Ffa- 1 j o l' ',.4 y 5MB 25 37h nu HIIIIHHHHH JNVENToR: Ffedel' QHeSS,

A TTORNEYS.

United States Patent "ice assigner fo seras 'crcorporation This invention relates to a spaceheater, and more particularly'concrn's `a 'gas burning 'radiant type space heater. Although space heaters naccerdace with this invention have other uses, 'they 'are particul'afly Awell adapted for installation in'walls or ceilings of r'o'oins in homes, cabins, paifnieitspd'ther "rs'iiitil 1' Ciri'I'lercial buildings.

. 'The supplemental electric heaters which are 'often u'se'in rides, etc. 'te sppwmei the heat supplied by the basic heating system, are expensive to operate and furnish only a limited amount of 'heatlin proportion to their lIn some cases, buildings which are not occupied during cold weather, but 'which are occupied at times when a limited amount of heating is desired, are heated by electric panel heaters mounted in the walls of the rooms. But even when only limited amounts of heat are required, it is expensive to heat an entire house, cottage or apartment in this manner.

Some of the foregoing problems have heretofore been overcome by using gas to supply the heat. However, many gas heaters discharge the products of combustion into the space being heated, and consume the oxygen in that space, all of which are objectionable factors in the heating of residential and commercial spaces such as houses, ofces, apartments and the like.

Gas heaters for residential purposes have been located in fireplaces so that the products of combustion are drawn off by the chimney. However, that arrangement not only allows considerable heat to escape by way of the chimney, but also creates drafts in the room and consumes the oxygen in the room.

Itis an object of this invention to provide a space heater which overcomes the foregoing diliculties and disadvantages. Another object is to provide a space heater which burns gas but does not consume the oxygen from the space being heated. Still another object is to provide a space heater which rapidly furnishes the heating requirements of the space being heated. It is yet another object of this invention to provide a gas burning space heater which disposes of its combustion products outside the space being heated but does not create drafts in said space. Another object is to provide a radiant type gas heater for heating a room or other space which overcomes the safety problems sometimes associated with gas heaters.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, including the remarkable adaptability of the same and the ease with which the space heater may be mass-produced, will further become apparent hereinafter, and in the drawings, whereof:

Fig. l represents a face view of a radiant panel space heater embodying features of this invention, with parts broken away and shown in section (as indicated by the arrows I-I in Fig. 2) in order more particularly to illustrate important details and Fig. 2 represents a vertical sectional view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows II-II which appear in Fig. l;

Referring to the drawings, the number designates Patented Sept. 17, 1957 2 a wall of `a building, having a substantially rectangular recessedfportion 21 in which the space heater is located.

The space heater structure is supported on a rigid vertical .plate 22 comprising upper and lower sections one of which is xed 'to an upper exhaust duct 23 and the other 'of which =is yfixed to va lower exhaust duct 24. A vertically arranged substantially rectangular, llat refractory panel 2S consisting of separate upper and lower panel portions is `fixed -to :plate 22. A cover 26 of translucent or transparent material which ltransmits radiant (heat, is xed to 'the ducts y23, 24 and extends parallel to the refractory panel 25. The cover 26 is spaced from the refractory .panel 25 -forn'iing an intervening thin, substantially lrectangular combustion space 2-7.

Means are :provided for introducing gas comprising -a rich, partial prerriix into vthe kcombustion space 27. An air inspirator 29 is connected into a gas inlet pipe 30 which -is'connected to Vthecenter of a substantially horizontal manifold v31 which extends across substantially the entire Vwidth of refractory fpanel 25, midway between the exhaustiducts 23, 24. The manifold 3'1 has two rows of uniformly spaced Vopenings 32 which extend along the entire length -of the manifold-at its'upper and lower edges.

Means are provided for feeding secondary air into the combustion space 27 adjacent the .partial premix feed. It will be observed that the upper and lower portions of refractory panel 25 are uniformly spaced from the manifold 31 forming elongated slots 33 which extend along the entire length of the manifold immediately adjacent to it. The upper and lower sections of plate 22 are spaced apart to permit access of air to the slots 33.

Means are provided tor inducing the flow of air through the slots 33. The intake of a blower 34 carried by plate 22 is connected to exhaust pipes 35, 36 which are connected respectively to the ducts 23, 24. The exhaust ducts 23, 24 have slots 37, 38 which provide communication with combustion space 27. The blower suction induces the flow of air into combustion space 27. The air and gas are ignited and the flame and hot combustion products are drawn by blower 34 across the surface of the refractory 25, heating said surface to incandescence. The radiant heat is transmitted through the cover 26 to the space being heated.

It will be observed that vertical baffles 40, 41 are provided bisecting the upper and lower exhaust ducts 23, 24, and that the exhaust is drawn out through two separate branch pipes from each exhaust duct. The exhaust is disposed of through a pipe 39 which extends outside the space being heated.

Although the body of the refractory panel 25 is substantially at, the panel 25 has a plurality of integrally formed elongated upstanding ribs 43 each of which extends parallel to the flow of the combustion gases. The ribs 43 are arranged in rows and are appropriately staggered to cause the combustion gases to follow tortuous paths to distribute the combustion heat uniformly.

It will be understood that a pilot, spark plug or other igniting means is provided adjacent to the gas manifold to light the gas-air mixture when the space heater is turned on. One such igniting means appears diagrammatically in Fig. 2 of the drawings as a pilot burner 52 extending through panel 25 to a point adjacent to manifold 31.

It will be appreciated that space heaters in accordance with this invention quickly provide radiant heat at an intense level. The ribs of the refractory bed are rapidly brought to incandescence after the space heater is turned on, and their heat is immediately radiated to the space being heated. The combustion products do not enter the space, nor are any drafts created in that space. Means may be provided whereby the blower is automatically started whenever the gas is turned on, thereby providing an extra margin of safety.

It will be appreciated that burners may be constructed toburn raw gas or to burn a rich mixture of gas and air which is commonly referred to as partial premix.

In referring to elongated ribs either on the refractory bed or on the inside of the glass or metal cover, I do not wish to imply that such ribs are necessarily straight, since they may be curved or otherwise shaped in a variety of ways as desired.

While I have described my invention by reference to a single embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes other than those referred to above may be made in the form of the device, that equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated in the drawings, and that certain features of the invention may be used to advantage independently of the use of other features, all within the spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A radiant panel space heater comprising supporting structure adapted to be inserted in a wall of the space, an elongated horizontally extending fuel manifold supported by said structure, a pair of rectangular refractory plates, means to mount said plates in said structure with one above and one below said manifold with one edge of each plate adjacent to said manifold whereby fuel issuing from said manifold will be directed across said plates,

a horizontally extending exhaust duct substantially coextensive in length with said manifold supported by said structure at the opposite edge of each plate from said manifold, said exhaust ducts being substantially coextensive in length with the respective adjacent edges of said plates, a a't plate of translucent material capable of transmitting infrared rays, means to mount said flat plate in said structure parallel to and spaced slightly from said refractory plates to form an enclosed combustion space, means extending into said space adjacent to said manifold to ignite fuel owing into said space, the fuel burning in front of each of said refractory plates, and means to withdraw products of combustion from each of said ducts.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v 1,420,264 Kennedy .Tune 20, 1922 1,639,114 Smith Aug. 16, 1927 1,832,786 Pattison Nov. 17, 1931 2,077,297 Williams Apr. 13, 1937 2,201,385 Woodson May 21, 1940 2,361,097 Hess Oct. 24, 1944 2,570,554 Henwood Oct. 9, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 539,572 Great Britain Sept. 16, 1941 611,243 Germany Mar. 25, 1935` 

